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New member here

New member here. Don't own a Subaru at this point, but have loved them since I learned to drive stick on my dad's '81 GL hatchback. Have lurked a bit before joining --gathered some intel on what to look for in buying a car from the mid-late 90's era, so thanks for the info all.

From what I read, it looks like the EJ22 is the motor I want to look for, especially if I go for a high mileage car. Two questions: Was that motor ever put in an Outback or a Forester? Or was is mostly the Imprezzas and Legacies? Also, how do you tell the difference between the EJ25 and the EJ22 visually?

The ej22e eis the engine you want from 90-95/96 legacy and impreza. There is an interference version of the same engine (single port exhaust thru 99 legacy l model, and 97-99 impreza. These engines use the composite head gaskets which are not prone to the same failures as the later milti layer steel gaskets in the ej25d and phase 2 ej22 and 25.

The 98 foreter came with the ej25d, as well as the 96 and up legacy gt, and legacy outback. the exception to this is the 95 legacy outback which was the l model with 15 inch alloy wheels, projector fogs, and the 2 tone decals(no side cladding) with outback being a trim level before the lifted struts and the body cladding.

You may be lucky and find an upper trim legacy that has already been swapped with ej22 as it will plug and play into the harness thru 99. There is a stamping on top of the engine block that will have a box with the letters ej22 or ej25 for the engine size. Look under the alternator to find it on the front edge of the engien just to the left of it. You should see it looking between the alternator and the steering pump.

Welcome! The engines will have the model stamped on the block. Occasionally it's covered by grime, but usually you can see it on the left side as you face the car from the front.

EJ22 is a fantastic motor. Ej25s were pretty horrid to start with but got continually better starting in 2000. My wife drives one with very high miles and it has been super dependable.

In NJ and Eastern PA there are still a handful of older subies around. You might find an old GL lurking in someones garage pop up for sale. The EA81 engines in the early ones were nearly bullet proof, the later EA82 was a great motor as well but not as legedary as the EA81.

You'll mostly see the EJ22 in the impreza and legacy. I've seen a couple outbacks with it from the 90s. You can always swap them over. A favorite of board members is to find a cheap car with a bad EJ25 and swap an EJ22 into it to get a more dependable motor in there and save money. These cars are extremely simple to work on in general and a motor can be swapped in a matter of hours with only basic tools.

Any of these platforms Impreza Legacy/Outback, forester are good cars capable of lasting for 200, 300 and 400k miles.

Greetings dude.
Sell the knock off (no offense) and pick up the vehicle by the company that started it all.
Not a single car/truck on the planet can replicate Subaru's true AWD. That's a fact Jack.
And you said it yourself, you've loved 'em since driving your papp's GL.
Drop a couple grand. Nab a Leggy or Impreza or GL or... Whatever fits your fancy.
Question for you gargrai.
Are you wondering what a rebuilt twotwo costs for the sake of buying a motor as is, by itself... Or a Scoob with a rebuilt twotwo?
Or.. Hold up. Cancel that.
Sell your CrossCountry and pick up a Subaru!
Welcome.

Just wondering if I picked up a 2.5 Forester say for cheap that needed work and did a 2.2 swap -what the swap would run me. Looks like a reman 2.2 would cost me about 3k maybe. Would love to try a rebuild myself but time is in short supply with kids...

As dependable as the EJ22 is, if you did get a forester or something of the like, your best bet in my opinion is to find a solid used EJ22 and drop it in. Self serve auto yards will sell them for around $100. and dismantlers will generally have some in the 300-500 range.

I did this a while back. Found an immaculate 91 Legacy Sedan with a bad motor (rod went right through the block.) Found a good motor from a fellow board member for $150. For about $500. I had a great running car. I let a friend in a bad financial spot drive it for several months and later sold it for a good profit.